McDonald’s CEO went viral for a tiny, cautious bite — now every fast food chain is piling on

You can’t say the “Big Cheese” over at McDonald’s put his foot in it. In fact, he barely took a nibble.

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski caught some ribbing for a less-than-enthusiastic video of himself sampling the chain’s massive new burger, the Big Arch. In the clip, the fast-food boss takes a careful, pinky practically up, delicate bite of the towering sandwich.

His expression? Let’s just say it put the brrrr in hamburger.

Even stranger, he repeatedly referred to the burger not as a burger, but simply as “the product,” giving the whole moment an icky clinical feel.

The internet noticed immediately.

The video quickly racked up massive views and thousands of comments. as the internet piled on with jokes about the CEO’s polite nibble and cautious demeanor.

The comment section quickly turned into a celebrity roast on Comedy Central.

“He acts like he’s never seen a burger before,” read one. “Impressed by sesame seeds.”

“Man’s aura screams kale salad,” insisted another.

The quip, “He looks like he would try to read the ingredients on the back of a banana,” collected a lot of laugh emojis.

Of course, the competition noticed.

Burger King quickly jumped into the post’s comment section with a jab that earned tens of thousands of likes: “We couldn’t finish it either,” mocking the teensy bite and suggesting the McArch burger was too unwieldy or inedible to enjoy.

Wendy’s followed with a subtler dig, commenting there was “a lot to unpack,” a phrase that worked both as commentary on the burger itself and the wave of criticism surrounding the video.

Fast food marketing teams clearly smelled blood in the water and started posting videos of their own.

Burger King released a short clip featuring Tom Curtis, president of Burger King U.S. and Canada, taking a huge bite of a Whopper in a much more enthusiastic fashion. The casual, confident bite was widely interpreted as a direct contrast to the hesitant nibble in the McDonald’s clip. Their new caption jokingly read, “Thought we’d replay this.”

From there, franchise mascots perked up, grabbed their sharpest plastic utensils, and pounced. The 21st-century Battle of Hamburger Hill was officially underway (Minus the bloodshed, it’s almost impossible to get a rare burger through a drive-thru).

Wendy’s joined the fray with a LinkedIn video featuring Pete Suerken, its U.S. president preparing and eating a Baconator. During the video he emphasizes the brand’s “fresh, never frozen” beef. The clip ends with Suerken taking several enthusiastic bites and declaring, “This is exactly what a good hamburger should be.”

Wendy’s joined the burger wars via LinkedInLinkedIn

LinkedIn commenters also joined the joke, “Fresh, never frozen … and definitely not rehearsed.“ Another top comment referenced the soda rivalries of the ’90s, “Move aside cola wars … the burger wars of the 2020s are here.”

In the high spirit of their midnight munchie meal, Jack in the Box entered the conversation. Their sphere-headed mascot was filmed with a burger in his hand and finger wagging shamefully.

”Small bites? We don’t do that here,” reads the caption, referencing the mascot’s drawn-on grin that couldn’t possibly open up for a chomp of any kind. “I have reasoning … But the other guy?”

A screenshot of a Jack in the Box post on Instagram.Instagram

Carl’s Jr. also posted a wisecrack nodding to their CEO.

The brand leaned into its identity of big, messy “all-over-your-face” sandwiches, casually suggesting that its burgers require a much “bigger commitment” than a cautious nibble.

Fans in the comments joked that Carl’s burgers require “a full-send bite.”

Even smaller chains and local regional brands joined the fun.

A&W Canada released a parody video recreating the original McDonald’s clip, mocking the overly polished corporate tone.

Elephants Deli posted “I’ve been told some CEOs eat their burgers in a stilted way” right before diving in for a giant bite of Angus beef.

Elephants Deli CEO joins the burger wars.Instagram

Scottie’s Pizza posted its own response video poking fun at the careful bite.

Where will it all end? Five Guys waiting in an alley? Killer Burger hiding in the shadows? Nightly gut bombs?

Despite the flood of jokes and criticism, the burger brawl backlash may be a little exaggerated.

The original video featuring Kempczinski’s now-famous bite remains online and continues gathering tons of views, reactions and comments.

McDonald’s even poked fun at themselves for all the attention the clip had generated.

Yes, the clip may feel slightly awkward. And yes, social media had plenty of fun with it. Still, in the grand scheme of viral internet moments, it’s hardly outrageous. The internet simply loves a good corporate awkward moment.

Even more so, it’s such a hoot that one tiny bite turned into one of the most entertaining corporate rivalries social media has seen in years.

The public eats that stuff up.

Not messing around.Sean Sterling